The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust offers an amazing learning opportunity for our field! The Trust was established shortly after Sir Winston’s death in 1965. Since then it has awarded over 4,450 travelling fellowships and has enabled UK citizens from all walks of life to acquire knowledge overseas to the benefit of community and country. Subjects cover the widest variety of topics including business in society, communities that work, the creative industries, education, environment, food and rural affairs, medical and health, prison and penal reform, and science, engineering and technology.

Each year, the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust awards over 100 travelling fellowships to UK citizens to gain experience abroad in a wide range of interests, to bring back benefit and positive change to their profession and the UK as a whole – including recovery from addiction.

The 2013 application process has just opened to provide a travelling sabbatical for those with experience, ambition and the desire to help others, and provide an experience that will add real value to your skills and to your CV, as well as furthering your leadership and role model abilities.

Applications are judged on project merit, with opportunities available to anyone over the age of 18 years old who is resident in the UK. Successful applicants will receive an average fellowship grant of £6,000, covering travel, food, accommodation and insurance for about six weeks overseas. The deadline for applications is 2 October 2012.

As well as promoting greater understanding between peoples, the experience makes people more effective at work and in the community. Past award winners include nurses, artists, scientists, engineers, farmers, conservationists, carers, craft workers, artisans, members of the emergency services, sportsmen and women, and young people.

ADDICTION FIELD HAS BENEFITED

Last year, Addiction Today’s very own Jim Smith was able to visit the US under the Arts and Crafts category to enhance his knowledge and experience in understanding more about the therapeutic value of music in the recovery process. Jim’s trip included a visit to the Betty Ford Center where he performed… twice! While there he also attended an Alcoholics Anonymous convention called Mad Dog Daze.

Representing Wales last year were Sarah Vaile, founder of Recovery Cymru, and Wynford Ellis Owen, founder of The Living Room in Cardiff. They both travelled extensively throughout the US visiting many recovery projects. Wynford in particular found inspiration from a variety of recovery community centres there. During her trip, Vaile undertook a four-day intensive “communities of practice” training. She learned that communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it as they interact regularly.

My most inspiring trip was undertaken last year by Peter Rainford, who used his 35 days in the US to visit 40 recovery projects in six US cities! Meeting noted recovery advocates such as William White, Phil Valentine and Roland Lamb, he also visited Oxford Houses (sober housing communities), the New York Gay Center, Hugs (Healing Under Grace & Safety) a women’s residential centre in Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Peer Leadership Academy and Dee’s Place, a 24/7 recovery centre which offers rolling fellowship meetings from 9pm to 9am!

So, if you fancy a life-changing, inspirational experience and would like to bring back learning from overseas to us in the UK, here’s your chance – the world is your oyster! Visit www.wcmt.org.uk.